Why do I use the Outcomes Star?I am passionate about improving people lives as a result of a treatment/intervention or programme from the perspective of the person using the service. My work in and with the NHS has always been focused on this goal. However, it has not always been easy to balance the needs of a skilled, motivated staff group , within the scope of an organisation and to demonstrate the impact the services have on people ‘s lives. Many professionals try to do it and many organisations have researched and designed the best way to do it, with more and better brain s than mine! However, my breadth of experience has shown that these have largely have missed the mark from the person using the service’ point of view. At best they have been so technical that the objective has been lost in the process. My work in writing a Rehabilitation strategy for NHS south of Tyne and Wear (2011-12) led me to the Outcomes Star. Having spoken to colleagues in mental services who had been involved in applying it across their services, they convinced me that whilst ‘not perfect’ the Outcome Star was worth pursuing in the strategy. It would also add synergy across ‘physical health and mental health’ – surely a reason for taking it forward in itself! We took the Well being Outcome Star to the local engagement board (members of the public) in Sunderland to ascertain their views on the Outcome Star as a proposal for implementation. It was unanimously ‘voted’ as a very positive approach. However, I wanted to try this Outcome star out for myself. As we were, at Advancing Potential Un Limited , designing and piloting a new ‘self management ‘ programme, at that time , we considered the ‘Star’ to be a useful tool to focus conversations and to be able to measure the impact of the programme with the participants. The Star was therefore used throughout the 3 pilot programmes. It was popular with the participants (some of whom had tried other tools before before) and as a visual aid it was invaluable. The participants in the programmes were unused to focusing on goals and the Star really helped the conversations with the facilitators, to determine their own goals. The conversations between the workers and the participants, when using the ‘Star’ is very different and it establishes a more balanced working relationship between the two than traditional approaches tend to do. November 2012: I am now a licensed trainer for the Outcome Star, on behalf of NHS South of Tyne and Wear (Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside.) The aim is to train people involved in rehabilitation services across the 3 areas to use the Well Being Star as part of the implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation strategy (2012-17) The use of the ‘Star’ will be incorporated into the service specification for rehabilitation services across the 3 CCGs, initially as a pilot, to evaluate its impact and use. It is a tool to promote self management through rehabilitation services. The intention is to change the focus of rehabilitation to be more person centred and to enable the person to think about their lives as a whole , not a series of interventions/treatments that are not joined up for them personally. We will need to evaluate the tool locally. I do envisage some challenges from professionals who implement this. I see the challenge as a good thing. It means that we are starting to understand the difference between outcomes for services, outcomes of function and outcomes for people. I am excited about the next steps in the journey towards making a better difference for people who need to use services and knowing/understanding and being able to measure the progress the individual has made for them as a result! There are now 15 Outcomes Stars to suit different service areas /life domains .The website allows you to look at and download the various stars to try them out for yourself. www.outcomestars.org.uk The developers of the Outcome Star have agreed that I can also use the well being star as part of the enhanced pilot in the self management programmes. We will share the experiences with them to aid future development. If you are interested in discussing the Outcomes Star for your own organisation or development, do get in touch. I am happy to share our experiences through the rehabilitation strategy implementation and the self management programmes and to discuss the fit for your own area of interest and potential future training /support for implementation.